Police: 76-year-old woman robbed, punched inside Omaha church

OMAHA, Neb. – Police said Wednesday they have arrested a suspect after a 76-year-old woman was robbed and punched in the face inside an Omaha church.

The Omaha Police Department said in a statement that 22-year-old Wayman Clark has been arrested after a felony warrant for robbery was issued. It wasn't immediately known whether he has an attorney to comment on the allegations; online court records don't yet list the case.

The department said investigators are working to identify another male believed to have helped in the Sunday robbery that was caught on surveillance video at St. Cecilia Cathedral.

The video shows the woman reading a parish newsletter inside the church's entrance when one suspect approaches her from behind and grabs her purse before running out of the door. The other male strikes the woman in the head, knocking her down, before leaving.

The woman, who wasn't identified, hit her head against the side of the table as she fell. She was helped by a parishioner before being taken to Creighton University Medical Center with a large bump and scrapes on her forehead. She was treated in the emergency room and has been released, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The Rev. James Netusil said he was in the sacristy preparing for morning Mass when the assault occurred. He said the woman was "pretty shaken up" and initially didn't want to be taken to the hospital.

"From the video, we know that she had just walked in two minutes before and suddenly, she's attacked," he said.

Netusil said security cameras have been installed throughout the church and on campus for at least 10 years and the "system is exceptionally thorough."